The present invention relates generally to the field of merchandising systems. In particular, the present invention relates to merchandising systems providing for orderly presentation of articles (such as products) in a display space.
It is known to provide for a merchandising system that may be used for displaying products in consumer settings such as grocery stores, retail outlets, shops, etc. Such known merchandising systems may be used to present, display and store products in fixed or limited spaces such as on shelves, in display cases, in cabinets, etc.
It is beneficial when merchandising an article such as a product to allow potential customers to view or handle it in a convenient and comfortable manner. Known merchandising systems may display products to a consumer by providing the products in inefficient configurations. Products and product containers come in a variety of sizes and shapes, and some products may be more difficult to merchandise (e.g., present for potential retail sale) than others. Within fixed or limited spaces, known merchandising systems may not be configured to optimize the presentation of such products to a consumer. Such known merchandising systems also do not always provide convenient ways for dispensing products, especially those with unique or irregular shapes. Ease of use can be an important concern for customers and store personnel. As is sometimes the case, product or container design may be dictated by considerations separate from the ease or difficulty with which the product may be presented.
Some known merchandising systems may not provide strong and/or rigid support for articles. Accordingly, many merchandising systems may not provide articles in a straight, linear, or level arrangement due to sagging, deformation, bowing, deflection and/or movement due to the weight of the articles. Some merchandising systems fail to provide smooth, efficient gliding of an article along the length of the system. In addition, many merchandising systems may not evenly distribute weight from articles and/or product along the length of the system. This may result in a higher force when loading or stocking the unit (e.g., some spring pusher systems may require higher spring tension).
Some known merchandising systems do not provide effective means for stacking multiple trays next to one another (or in levels) without causing the trays to become tangled. For example, many systems have bulky sides often prone to tangling. This is often caused by manufacturing systems that have identical sides capable of becoming locked together because of their similar configurations.
Accordingly, it would be advantageous to provide a merchandising system that is configured for stocking, orderly presentation, and convenient storage of products with a shape that may not be easily stored, presented, or displayed, such as products with uniquely shaped containers. It would also be advantageous to provide a merchandising system that is configured for selective modularity in the construction and assembly of the merchandising system. It would also be advantageous to provide a merchandising system that allows for the construction and assembly of a merchandising system with any number of product facings, modules, compartments, etc. It would also be advantageous to provide a merchandising system that advances a product and/or allows a product to advance along a defined path. It would also be advantageous to provide a merchandising system that may withstand large vertical forces when in an extended position, a stowed position, or any position therebetween. It would also be advantageous to provide a merchandising system that may evenly distribute the weight of articles and/or products over the length of the system. It would also be advantageous to provide a merchandising system that allows for smooth, efficient gliding of articles and/or products along the length of the system. It would also be advantageous to provide a merchandising system that minimizes tangling or hooking with adjacent trays or objects.
It would be advantageous to provide a merchandising system or the like of a type disclosed in the present application that provides any one or more of these or other advantageous features.